Garment sleever

ABSTRACT

A sleever has two slats connected together by a spring in the form of a pair of elongated outwardly bowed leaf springs such that the slats are parallel. A handle has a pair of members pivoted to the slats to apply an inward force for compressing the spring and moving the slats together for insertion into, or removal from, the sleeve of a garment. The slats and handle members are connected to the midsections of the outwardly bowed springs, enabling the slats to remain parallel when together, apart and/or in intermediate positions, thereby being adaptable to shape garment sleeves of various sizes during a garment conditioning or finishing operation.

United States Patent 91 Blevens 11] 3,726fii 1 Apr. 10, 1973 [73] Assignee: W. M. Cissell Manufacturing Company, Louisville, Ky.

22 Filed: Nov. 5, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 196,132

[52] US. Cl. ..223/74 [51] Int. Cl ..D06c 5/00, D060 15/00 [58] Field of Search ..223/57, 70-74, 223/61, 63, 65

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,948,447 8/1960 Journey et a1. ..223/74 2,869,766 1/1959 Shefier ..223/74 3,015,422 1/1962 DeFin0.... ..223/74 3,417,905 12/1968 Aloi ..223/74 855,794 6/1907 Macomber ..223/74 3,506,170 4/1970 Rosenthal ..223/72 10/1949 Caldwell ..223/72 11/1925 Dumbleton et al ..223/63 Primary Examiner-James R. Boler Assistant Examiner-G. V. Larkin Att0rneyJames S. Hight et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A sleever has two slats connected together by a spring in the form of a pair of elongated outwardly bowed leaf springs such that the slats are parallel. A handle has a pair of members pivoted to the slats to apply an inward force for compressing the spring and moving the slats together for insertion into, or removal from, the sleeve of a garment The slats and handle members are connected to the midsections of the outwardly bowed springs, enabling the slats to remain parallel when together, apart and/or in intermediate positions, thereby being adaptable to shape garment sleeves of various sizes during a garment conditioning or finishing operation.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATE N TED APR 1 0 I973 INVENTOR.

, wkw

GARMENT SLEEVER The present invention relates to sleevers, and more particularly to sleevers of the type utilized for forming and holding the sleeve of a garment in a predetermined position during a garment conditioning or finishing operation.

It is generally known to provide sleever apparatus for holding the sleeve of a garment in a pre-formed position during a conditioning or finishing process in order to prevent wrinkles and to insure that the sleeve will emerge from the finishing or conditioning process in an attractive, well-proportioned attitude. Such sleevers generally include two elongated, sleeve-engaging slats and a spring which urges the slats apart, normally holding them in an extended position. In operation, the spring is compressed, with or without the use of handles, depending on the specific sleever construction, and the slats are brought together. The retracted slats are then inserted into the sleeve to be formed or shaped. The spring is released, urging the slats apart and into engagement with the interior of the sleeve, forming it in accordance with the configuration assumed by the inserted slats.

One problem with some previous sleevers, for exampic that shown in U. S. Pat. No. 2,869,766, is that the slats do not remain parallel over the entire range of positions encountered in use with sleeves of differing sizes. The result is that such sleevers do not produce uniformly good results with small as well as large sleeves. Since the slats are parallel at only one specified distance from each other, if put into a sleeve with a formed dimension either more or less than this distance, the slats will forcefully contact the sleeve only at the ends of the slats rather than along the entire length of the slat. This unduly stresses the sleeve at the points of contact, and tends to produce unsightly bulges or the like in the finished garment.

To overcome the above problem, sleevers having slats which remain parallel through their entire range of positions have been proposed. Typical of these are the sleevers shown in U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,506,170 and 3,417,905. While thesetwo patents disclose structure for maintaining their sleeve engaging members parallel, the mechanical linkages utilized are relatively complex and expensive to manufacture. Further, in the case of the sleever shown in U. S. Pat. No. 3,506,170, the mechanical linkage unnecessarily projects outwardly from the device, rendering it more susceptible to snagging and the like.

Another form of sleever is disclosed in U. S. Pat. No. 3,015,422. The sleever of this patent has two slats, each of which is pivoted about a point intermediate its ends. While the slats in this sleever can assume a parallel relationship, the sleever has no structure for insuring that the slats will in fact remain parallel. As a consequence, the slats tend to assume an orientation defined by the shape of the sleeve at the beginning of the finishing operation. Should that initial shape be deformed the slats will tend to assume the shape of the deformation, rather than shape the sleeve in the desired pre-form condition.

It has been one objective of this invention to provide a sleever with slats which tend to remain substantially,

parallel throughout the entire range of travel between its operating limits, thereby applying uniform pressure to a sleeve at all points along the length of the slats regardless of sleeve size.

A further objective has been to provide a sleever which is easily stored for ready use by the operator, and which may simultaneously, and with one hand, be both retrieved from storage and operated for insertion into a sleeve to be formed.

Briefly, the present invention contemplates a sleever which is constructed for convenient, efficient use with one hand and which includes structure for maintaining its sleeve engaging slats parallel to each other throughout their entire operating range, so that the sleever is usable for a variety of sleeves of different sizes. This is accomplished by providing, in a handleoperated sleever, the combination of two elongated sleeve engaging slats resiliently connected in parallel by a pair of opposite end connected outwardly bowed elongated springs to which the slats are fixed at the midsection of the springs, and means for connecting the handle to different ones of the springs also at the midsection of the latter. In a preferred form, the handle includes two elongated portions which at their one ends are pivoted together, and at their other ends are each pivoted to a different spring midsection and slat.

The sleever is readily stored by an operator by placing the spring over a peg and, when needed, is merely lifted off by an operator who grasps the handle in one hand and then squeezes its elongated portions together to compress the springs, drawing the slats together. He then inserts the sleever into a sleeve. Following this, the handle and the compressed springs are released and the springs urge the slats apart to engage and form the sleeve. Since the slats are connected in parallel relationship at the midsections of the respective springs, they tend to remain substantially parallel regardless of sleeve sizes and therefore apply substantially parallel and uniform pressure to the sleeve along its length regardless of sleeve size, enabling sleeves of varying sizes to be shaped without bulges.

These and other objectsand advantages will become more readily apparent from the following written description and the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view showing the sleever in position within a sleeve,

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sleever in a closed position,

FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of the connection between a slat, spring and handle portion,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the sleever showing it-in a partially open position, and

FIG. 3A is an enlarged view of a hinged connection between the springs.

Referring to FIG. 1, the sleever of the present invention is designated at 10 and is shown in operative position in a sleeve 11 of a typical garment 12. The garment is supported by a suitable means (not shown) throughout the process with which the sleever is used.

The details of the sleever itself are best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIG. 3, the sleever is shown in a partially open position. It includes two slat members 13 and 14 which are disposed in a substantially parallel relationship to each other. The slats are made from wood or any other suitable material. The slat 13 has a generally concave outer edge configuration while the other slat 14 has a generally convex outer edge configuration.

The shape of these edges conforms generallyto the desired form of a sleeve, the top or front portion of the sleeve 11 shown in FIG. 1 being slightly concave and the bottom or rear portion 16 of the sleeve 11 being slightly convex. The forward ends of the slats are slightly tapered toward the opposing slat to facilitate insertion of the sleever into a sleeve to be formed. It is to be noted that, although the top 15 and the bottom 16 of the sleeve 11 differ in configuration, they are substantially parallel.

Two identically constructed and shaped longitudinal leaf-type springs 17 and 18 are disposed between the slats 13 and 14 and are connected respectively thereto. The springs 17 and 18 are joined at each of their respective ends at 19 and 20 by hinging as shown in FIG. 3A, and are covered by a flexible material 21. This material eliminates contact between the hinged springs and the material of the sleeve, thereby eliminating the catching and pulling of the sleeve by the springs and any transfer of rust or other discoloring from the springs to the sleeve.

The springs 17 and 18, when joined, form a single' generally elliptically shaped spring which has two outwardly bowed sections 22A and 23A at which the slats 13 and 14 areconnected. The midsections 22A and 23A of the springs 17 and 18, which surround midpoints 22 and 23, are substantially parallel. The slats are secured to the springs at these midsections 22A and 23A by suitable fasteners which may comprise screws 24. In the preferred embodiment, each slat 13 and 14 is connected to its respective spring by two fasteners 24, as shown in FIG. 2A, such that the slats are generally tangent to the springs at the midpoints 22 and 23 thereof, and parallel to each other and to spring midsections 22A and 23A.

Since the identical springs 17 and 18 are symmetrically constructed and are connected at both ends, the midsections 22A and 23A thereof tend to remain in parallel relationship when an inward force is applied at the midpoints 22 and 23 by the handles as will be described. Due to their connection with the parallel spring midsections, the slats also tend to remain in substantially parallelrelationshipto each other over the entire range of movement of the springs 17 and 18.

An actuator or handle 30jis provided to actuate the sleever 10. The handle comprises two longitudinal members 31 and 32 which are :pivoted togetherat ends 33 and 34 as shown at 35. The other ends 36 and 37 are each pivoted to a respective slat at spring midpoints 22 and 23.

The details of this connection are shown in FIG. 2A. A groove is cut into each slat as at 38, the grooves location in the slat corresponding to the spring midpoints 22 and 23. A pin 40 is placed in each groove and the handle ends 36 and 37 are pivoted thereto, one end to each respectivepin. When the springs are connected to the slats, as by screws 24, it can be appreciated that the springs serve to hold the pins 40 within the grooves 38.

In order to accommodate the springs 17 and 18, the handle portions may be of a hollow, three-sided shape with a back 41 and legs 42, the springs being receivable within the hollows when the handle is squeezed together. The springs are shown in this position by the dotted lines in FIGS. 2 and 3. The handle portions 31 and 32 each include a cut-out area 43 in the back 41 to The sleever 10 may be conveniently stored in an area adjacent that of its intended use in order to facilitate a finishing or conditioning process. The hinge point 19 provides a convenient support portion which may cooperate with an appropriately placed hook or support when the sleever is to be stored. In use, an operator need only grasp the sleever handle 30 in one hand and remove it from its storage support. He then squeezes members 31 and 32 together so as to tension the spring and move the slats together. The sleever is then oriented and inserted into a sleeve, such as the one shown in FIG. 1, so that its top concave slat 13 is proximate the top 15 of the sleeve and so the convex slat 14 is proximate the bottom 16 of the sleeve. The handle is then released and the compressed springs 17 and 18 urge the slats into engagement with the sleeve. Thus the whole operation including retrieval of the sleever from its storage position to insertion and releasing within a sleeve may be performed by the use of one hand only. This frees the other hand of an operator to aid inother manipulative activity necessary to the garment finishing or conditioning process.

Since the slats remain substantially parallel during movement toward and away from each other over their entire operating range, they contact the full length of the respective sleeve portions to be formed and properly form the sleeve regardless of the particular sleeves dimension. The weight of the sleever tends to weight the whole sleeve 11 of the garment 12 so as to hold it in a desired position.

It can be readily appreciated that my invention provides a unique but simple sleever which is operable by one hand and which maintains its slats in a parallel relationship throughout its operating range so as to be readily adaptable to form sleeves of various sizes without undesired bulging. Other modifications and variations will become readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope of my invention, and I desire to belimited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A sleever of the type insertable into a sleeve for forming a sleeve during a garment finishing operation,

between said slats in order that the sleever may be inserted into or withdrawn from a sleeve while maintaining said slats substantially parallel throughout their respective movements toward and away from each other and when in engaging contact with said sleeve.

2. A sleever as in claim 1 wherein said spring means are pivoted to each other at their ends.

3. A sleever as in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises a pair of handles, each handle having one end pivoted to a different slat in the area of connection of the slat to the respective spring means midsection and each of said handles having another end pivoted together.

4. A sleever as in claim 1 wherein each of said slats is connected to a respective outwardly bowed spring means by a pair of longitudinally spaced fasteners, each fastener of the pair being located on opposite sides of its respective associated spring means midsection.

5. A sleever as in claim 4 wherein said actuating means comprises a pair of handles pivoted together at one end, and each being pivoted to a respective slat between said longitudinally spaced fasteners.

6. A sleever as in claim 5 wherein a forward end of each of said slats is tapered toward the opposite slat.

7. A sleever as in claim 5 wherein one slat is provided with a concave outer edge and wherein another slat is provided with a convex outer edge. 

1. A sleever of the type insertable into a sleeve for forming a sleeve during a garment finishing operation, said sleever comprising: two elongated sleeve engaging slats insertable into a sleeve to be finished, two elongated and outwardly bowed spring means joined together at both of their opposite ends and having oppositely positioned midsections disposed parallel to each other, fastening means connecting said slats in parallel and to different ones of said spring means at the midesection of the spring means, and selectively operable actuating means connected to said slats and said spring means at said spring means midsections for compressing said spring means and thereby decreasing the distance between said slats in order that the sleever may be inserted into or withdrawn from a sleeve while maintaining said slats substantially parallel throughout their respective movements toward and away from each other and when in engaging contact with said sleeve.
 2. A sleever as in claim 1 wherein said spring means are pivoted to each other at their ends.
 3. A sleever as in claim 1 wherein said actuating means comprises a pair of handles, each handle having one end pivoted to a different slat in the area of connection of the slat to the respective spring means midsection and each of said handles having another end pivoted together.
 4. A sleever as in claim 1 wherein each of said slats is connected to a respective outwardly bowed spring means by a pair of longitudinally spaced fasteners, each fastener of the pair being located on opposite sides of its respective associated spring means midsection.
 5. A sleever as in claim 4 wherein said actuating means comprises a pair of handles pivoted together at one end, and each being pivoted to a respective slat between said longitudinally spaced fasteners.
 6. A sleever as in claim 5 wherein a forward end of each of said slats is tapered toward the opposite slat.
 7. A sleever as in claim 5 wherein one slat is provided with a concave outer edge and wherein another slat is provided with a convex outer edge. > 